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We’re Almost Done

When we arrived at Sarasota airport on Saturday morning, there was a message on my voice mail.

“Alison, it’s John,” our builder said. “I’m thinking that when you get to Sarasota, you should relax awhile. Maybe go to the Ringling Museum, and have lunch in the city. Take your time.” Since John is not big on sightseeing, we knew something was up.

We didn’t fly 1,500 miles to go to a circus museum, as enjoyable as that may be. In fact, we were really eager to see our finished house after months of work (and years of longing). So after a brief stop at Mattress Giant, we drove straight there.

Well, I’m happy to report that we’re thrilled.

Sure, there were 15 people swarming like ants throughout the house, hammering and hauling things to and fro, but here are just a few things we love:

Ray Waldin has taken a barren patch of dead dirt and turned it into a tropical setting. We love the palm trees in particular, but the flowers that Ray chose are also lovely.

Pool

We didn’t know the pool would be finished by the time we got here, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it not only completed, but filled with water.

Alison and Paul were surprised to find the pool finished when they arrived at the house.

Windows

The temperature has reached 80 degrees every day, but we haven’t had to turn on the air-conditioner; we’ve just opened all the windows and let the cross breeze cool things down. Of course, all that beautiful light and air comes with a cost — we need to wash every window.

Hardwood Floors

It’s exactly what we wanted: light and cool and great on the feet. It also needs to be vacuumed and damp-mopped; that’s on our list, as well.

Kitchen

My photos are not going to do it justice because we’ve got junk all over the place. And there are cabinet doors missing, some appliances still need to be balanced and the wine cooler is on back order. But in a few days, the kitchen will be perfect.

The kitchen is almost finished.

A wine refrigerator is on back order, but the other appliances have been installed.

Actually, as far as we’re concerned, the house is pretty close to perfect. Honestly, I am so happy.

I love the bookshelves on either side of the range. If you’d had cabinets there, it would really be monotonous. Not sure how I like the backsplash; its darker than my taste, but a good balance with the white cabinetry. Although, it doesn’t have anything to do with the green paint job. I have a feeling that you’ll be repainting the kitchen in a lighter shade of the brown tile in the backsplash, and doing it sooner than you think.

Congratulations! That’s what matters is that you are honestly happy. That’s the point. I’m happy FOR you. I wish you many wonderful times in the house and lots of good meals as well as enjoying the cooking process. It does look good in the pictures. I’d love to see 50 more, from every angle, I’m sure you know THAT!

Putting on my kitchen designer hat, I’d caution others to beware of a conflict of pattern between granite and tile. One cannot see the detail of the granite in the shot at all. It is possible it is too busy for the tile. Pairing that type of tile pattern with granite can be very tricky.

Now that I see it, I definitely would have made the short window in the dining area longer, even though it would not line up on the outside of the house. And, to some, the dining table not relating to the windows could be an issue. To others, not, but something to be aware of when planning. I’d like to see pictures of the dining area from different angles. And, the refrigerator wall from other angles too.

I’m not a fan of the L shaped soffit. Just doesn’t seem to relate to the house. I like the floors, I like the paint color, and, although I can’t see it head on, I’m glad there are fewer doors surrounding the hood. Actually, that’s something I mentioned before, and it appears to be MUCH better this way. I think the long sink run is too long. You really have to watch the clutter in this kitchen. The eye will just scan for clutter, running along those countertops, that’s what it’s looking for. I think I would not have even used crown molding in this kitchen, just another simple molding, more straight, or like a chair rail molding. I don’t care for it at the window.

I would also caution others that shiney and new doesn’t always mean “good” but, of course, and again, it’s what the owners think that counts.

Although, honestly, I’m not on board with it, I do want you to, honestly, love it or else I’d probably go off the deep end at that point!

It’s wonderful to hear that you are both thrilled. So glad that you got your dream house and I’m sure you will enjoy it for years to come.

Isn’t it something what landscaping can do?

Thank you for the pictures. And, of course, we want more. I’d love to see a view of the front of the house from further away. And the master suite and bath. The entry. A picture of the lanai and pool. And, and, and….

Carol and others who have a much better eye for design than I do, I really enjoy reading your comments. I laughed at the clutter warning. I fight clutter on my kitchen counter continually.

I don’t think those are bookshelves above the range on the sides, I think those are cabinets with missing doors. I wouldn’t put books next to a heat source or subject to the splattering from a range top.

Well, I might have to take back the “ugly baby” comment. The house on it’s own is not so impressive…still don’t like the upper deck. But as with any basic black dress, it’s all about the accessories. In this case the landscaping, the pool, the shiny new kitchen. Hope it’s all that you dreamed.

I’m glad you like your house. That is really the most important thing.

As a word of caution – when it is 80 outside – the A/C should be on – and the windows should be shut. Might feel “tropical” to you now – but things inside a house warp – mildew – and have all kinds of problems when the air temp is over about 76 and the humidity is high (which is pretty much the case most of the year in most of Florida). I know a lot of people here who have moved from the north – and they think 78 with 80% humidity feels wonderful (a lot had houses up north without A/C) – until they take out their clothes and linens and they stink from the mildew. FWIW – we keep our (combined) thermostat to turn on the A/C at 76 – and the heat at 70 during the day (71 at night – being from Miami – I’m a wimp in the winter – people from up north can probably tolerate colder).

BTW – the main part of the Ringling is an art museum (the Circus Museum is in a secondary building). The restoration of the main building which houses the art museum was completed about 5 years ago. It’s quite a nice place to spend an afternoon when you have some time to spare. Robyn

Glad to start seeing some interior photos. The landscaping looks great. The kitchen looks awfully cluttered already, but it could be the image. I don’t love all the small hanging pendants – too much and they conflict with the busy backsplash tile and the pendant over the table. I agree with Susan Serra, the short windows should have been longer. They look skimpy and unbalanced. Hopefully you will furnish the space underneath them to balance the space better.

Juni – I hesitate to discuss matters of taste – but – as an avid Florida gardener for many years – this isn’t landscaping. Apart from the palms – you have a couple of dozen pots of seemingly random potted plants that one could pick up at Home Depot for peanuts.

There is a lot of cypress mulch. A big environmental no-no these days (nothing like cutting down magnificient native cypress stands and turning them into ugly red mulch). In addition – cypress both floats and mats. If mulch is needed in areas – and – since this is a sandy area to start with – I’d probably forget the mulch and work with more of a sandy scheme – there are much prettier – and environmentally friendly ones.

There is no line of demarcation between things like the driveway – and the plantings – and the stone. Not even in terms of elevations. First big rain and the mulch will cover both the driveway and the stone. Robyn

Like the playful tile backsplash. Wish the countertops was a sand or warm gold color granite maybe instead of being so dark. It comes across as a black hole in all the light wood and white. And too many pendants. Use as accent, not for all over. They obstruct the view and aren’t special anymore. And wish you could have given the contractor time to do the final cleaning. Washing windows and floors is part of finishing the job, usually. But, all in all, enjoy your house. Hope you have some colorful art and pillows!

And that is really weird the way the backsplash continues beyond the upper cabinets. I realize its because of the width of the peninsula, but still weird. Think about some quarter round shelves to fill in the gap. Also weird to me that the sink for washing dishes is right in front of where people will be sitting at the bar. And yes, those windows are really bothersome – both the spacing and the lengths. But as long as you love it, and these things won’t irk you every time you look at them, it doesn’t matter!

Although I doubt it will happen, I’d love to read about and see photos of how well the house ages, and how well the different systems (HVAC, windows, kitchen, landscaping, pool, lighting, etc.) work. It most likely will take a few years before A&P truly settle in and become aware of everything, and it would be wonderful to find out what works, and what doesn’t.

Things I’m particularly curious about:
-how well the plants grow in, whether or not they survive the first year, the first drought, etc.
-will the mulch in the backyard end up in the pool?
-are the lights in the right place? I’m thinking particularly of the lights in the kitchen–if the pendants aren’t placed correctly relative to the countertops, someone bending over their work will shadow or block the light. (We got this mostly right in our kitchen, but we placed one light (over the vegetable sink, so it was important) wrong, and it’s annoyed us ever since. When you’re slicing onions *very* fine, and your eyes are aging, you want bright, focused light on the task at hand…and instead, we have a bright, focused light shining down on our backs.)
-how well does the kitchen function? The distance b/t the sink and the stove seems rather long to me; I wonder if Alison will find that she’ll make extra mess carrying juicy chopped tomatoes from the sink to the stove? (For people who wear shoes in the house and don’t care much about what’s on their floors, this might not be an issue. But I go barefoot, so anything that ends up on the floor has to picked up immediately–which is a problem when you’ve got your oil at *just* the right temperature, and the garlic is threatening to burn.) Also–does traffic stop when someone has to get into the fridge, or is there enough space b/t the fridge and the counter? How’s the flow when there are multiple (5? 6? 7?) people working w/in the C-shape of the kitchen? I thought that it would be too tight, but maybe it’s not.
-how well do the different finishes/materials age? I’ve always thought that white-painted (or laminated) cabinetry would start to look tired long before naturally-finished wood cabinets would, simply b/c they would show dings much more clearly. (I love a lot of the mid-century modern/modern/minimalist aesthetic, but it seems to me that it requires a lot of maintenance; i.e., when a big part of the look involves super-crisp lines or a series of perfectly flat and aligned cabinet and drawer fronts, as soon as something gets dented or shifts a bit, suddenly you’ve lost a lot of the appeal.)
-how does the driveway configuration work? How is visibility when you’re backing the car out of the garage?

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About

They've found an idyllic tiny town in Florida, they've bought a piece of land and now Paul B. Brown and Alison Davis are setting out to build their dream house. How hard can it be, they wonder, even though they live 1,500 miles away, they've never built a home before and they don't know anything about architects, builders, local zoning laws or financing? On this blog for Great Homes, they recount their successes and failures and will chronicle their adventures to come.